Major Changes to Train Services between Crewkerne and Exeter St Davids Saturday 15th September to Saturday 10th November

The rail line between Crewkerne and Exeter will be closed between Saturday 15th and Sunday 23rd September inclusive. No South Western Railway services will operate between Crewkerne and Exeter between those dates. This does not affect Great Western Railway services between Exmouth and Exeter / Paignton which will operate normally. The closure is to allow Network Rail to carry out works to reduce the impact of flooding on rail services in the future. Please note there will be a different service level on Saturday 15th September due to the planned RMT strike action. In addition there will be some changes to train services between Monday 24th September and Saturday 10th November inclusive as part of the same works. For most stations between Salisbury and Exeter this will mean some minor re-timings of trains. There will however be fewer station stops than normal at both Feniton and Templecombe – this is because the restricted speed of trains in the Axminster affects the timings of services at the passing locations on single track sections of the route. There are further engineering works that will affect services on Sunday 30th September, Sunday 7th October and Sunday 21st October (further details below). See Frequently Asked Questions at the end for more information. Saturday 15th to Sunday 23rd September (Inclusive) Important: Saturday 15th September only The RMT union have announced further strike dates, one of which is Saturday 15th September. On this date a different service pattern is expected to operate. Detailed arrangements are still to be confirmed but it is anticipated that train and replacement bus services will be similar to those operated on Saturday 18th August. Sunday 16th to Sunday 23rd September Buses will replace South Western Railway trains between Crewkerne and Exeter St Davids. Train services will run to a slightly amended timetable between Crewkerne and London Waterloo. The timetable for Monday 17th to Friday 21st is available here [provide link to supplied timetable doc]. The timetables for Saturdays and Sundays will be made available on this page shortly. Monday 24th September to Saturday 10th November (inclusive) Most services will be retimed by a few minutes and some calls at both Feniton and Templecombe will be replaced by buses connecting at nearby stations. The Monday to Friday changes in the above period are as follows: Most of the alterations will be re-timing of train services, but to maintain the timetable we will need to take station stops out of some trains and replacement buses will run for these stations. The trains which will be affected are:

1220 London Waterloo – Exeter will not call at Feniton. 1520 London Waterloo – Exeter will not call at Feniton. 1720 London Waterloo – Exeter will not call at Feniton.

0823 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo will not call at Templecombe 0925 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo will not call at Templecombe 1125 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo will not call at Templecombe 1325 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo will not call at Templecombe 1525 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo will not call at Templecombe 1624 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo will not call at Templecombe 1725 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo will not call at Templecombe 1925 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo will not call at Templecombe

Where trains do not call at a station as above, a replacement bus will connect out of the train at the previous station and a bus will leave the station earlier than normal to connect into the train at the next station. A detailed timetable will be available on this page as soon as possible. On-line booking websites should have the correct times. Weekends between 29th September and 4th November inclusive Every weekend in this period will be affected by changed train times and reduced station calls. Several other weekends in this period have other engineering works between Exeter and Waterloo which will require other changes to train times: Sunday 30th September: The lines between Honiton and Exeter will be closed all day Sunday for maintenance work.

• Train services will run between London Waterloo and Honiton. These services will also be altered due to work at London Waterloo.

• Bus services will run between Honiton and Exeter St Davids. Sunday 7th October: The lines between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction will be closed all day Sunday for maintenance work.

• The normal train service will run between London Waterloo and Salisbury. • Trains to and from Yeovil and Exeter will be diverted between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction and will run via Westbury. Some trains will only run between London Waterloo and Salisbury. • Replacement bus services will run between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction, calling at the normal stations on this route. • A revised timetable will run between Yeovil Junction and Exeter. Trains from Exeter will run earlier than normal as far as Salisbury. Sunday 21st October: All lines in the Salisbury area will be closed Sunday until late afternoon for track maintenance. During this time:

• A revised train service will run between London Waterloo and Andover.

• Bus services will run between Andover and Gillingham.

• The normal train service will run between Gillingham and Exeter St Davids.

• Buses will replace all train services between Salisbury and Romsey. A circular train service will run to and from Romsey via Southampton and Eastleigh. Normal train services (except between Salisbury and Warminster) will resume from between 1600 and 1700 depending on location. All the above changes will be reflected in journey planners as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions Are there fast and slow buses from different stations? Yes – there will be one fast bus connecting with each train at Crewkerne calling at Axminster, Honiton, Exeter Central and Exeter St Davids and vice versa. There will also be a stopping bus calling at all stations. On Mondays to Fridays there will be additional peak hour buses between Axminster and Exeter On Saturdays and Sundays some buses will run non-stop between Crewkerne and Exeter. Where will the buses call? The buses will call at the railway stations unless directed otherwise locally. Buses will call additionally at Exeter College’s Hele Road campus (at the normal bus stops) around normal college starting and finishing times to reduce the pressure on space outside Exeter Central. Will my tickets be accepted on other Train Operators?

We are hoping to be able to confirm ticket acceptance on Great Western Railway services between Exeter St Davids and London Paddington – this web page will be updated when this is confirmed. Will my tickets be accepted on other local bus services? No, but they will be accepted on the rail replacement bus services. Is there enough car parking at Crewkerne for additional customers? The car park at Crewkerne is very busy and you may not be able to find a space. We recommend that you use Yeovil Junction instead if travelling towards Salisbury and London. I have a car park season ticket at Axminster or Honiton – can I use this at a different station where the train service is running? Yes at Crewkerne or Yeovil Junction but we recommend that you use Yeovil Junction due to Crewkerne being very busy